(a) Seasonally adjusted numbers of new motor vehicle sales in Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory should be used with caution. For more information, see paragraph 7 of the Explanatory Notes.

New Motor Vehicle Sales, Total vehicles - Short term

MAY KEY POINTS

SUSPENSION OF TREND ESTIMATES

Following the Commonwealth Budget in May 2009, the eligibility period for the Small Business and General Business Tax Break was extended to December 2009. The rebate level was also increased for small businesses, allowing eligible businesses to claim an increased tax deduction on the purchase of new motor vehicles.

The trend series attempts to measure the underlying behaviour in new motor vehicle sales. In the short term, this measurement may be significantly affected by unusual influences in the original and seasonally adjusted data, like those observed in May and June 2009. If the trend estimates in the publication were to be calculated without fully accounting for this irregular event, they would be likely to provide a misleading view of the underlying trend in new motor vehicle sales activity.

The new motor vehicle sales trend series has therefore been suspended from May 2009. The trend series will be reintroduced when more certainty emerges in the underlying behaviour of new car sales.

Seasonally adjusted estimates can still be produced and will continue to be published as usual.

This publication shows the trend series to April 2009 and seasonally adjusted series to May 2010.

Seasonally Adjusted - The May 2010 seasonally adjusted estimate for total sales of new motor vehicles (88 484) decreased by 3.2% when compared to April 2010. The May 2010 seasonally adjusted estimate for total new motor vehicle sales increased by 16.4% when compared to the May 2009 estimate.

In seasonally adjusted terms, sales of new motor vehicles decreased in five of the eight states or territories for May 2010 compared to April 2010. Western Australia recorded the largest percentage decrease of 6.5%, followed by Victoria and Tasmania, with decreases of 6.1% and 3.3% respectively. New motor vehicle sales increased for Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory by 3.3% and 2.3% respectively over the same period.

All states and territories increased when comparing May 2010 to May 2009 with Western Australia and the Northern Territory recording the largest percentage increases of 29.8% and 19.3% respectively.

NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE

Release Date

June 2010

15 July 2010

July 2010

16 August 2010

August 2010

15 September 2010

September 2010

18 October 2010

October 2010

15 November 2010

November 2010

15 December 2010

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

This issue presents details for the Sales of New Motor Vehicles for May 2010.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.

SUMMARY COMMENTARY

New Motor Vehicle Sales, Total vehicles - Long term

New Motor Vehicle Sales, Total vehicles - Short term

New motor vehicle sales by type of vehicle

Count Passenger vehicles

Count Sports utility vehicles

Count Other vehicles

Count Total vehicles

Change Passenger vehicles

Change Sports utility vehicles

Change Other vehicles

Change Total vehicles

no.

no.

no.

no.

%

%

%

%

Trend

2009

March

42 983

14 158

15 271

72 412

-1.0

0.4

-2.6

-1.0

April

42 972

14 277

15 005

72 254

-

0.8

-1.7

-0.2

May

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

June

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

July

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

August

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

September

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

October

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

November

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

December

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

2010

January

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

February

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

March

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

April

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

May

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

Seasonally Adjusted

2009

March

41 283

13 580

15 299

70 163

-5.7

-4.9

-1.0

-4.5

April

41 998

14 053

14 746

70 797

1.7

3.5

-3.6

0.9

May

43 928

15 171

16 922

76 022

4.6

8.0

14.8

7.4

June

44 900

16 247

19 890

81 036

2.2

7.1

17.5

6.6

July

45 233

15 061

14 628

74 922

0.7

-7.3

-26.5

-7.5

August

45 833

14 851

14 860

75 545

1.3

-1.4

1.6

0.8

September

46 543

15 363

16 722

78 627

1.5

3.4

12.5

4.1

October

47 285

16 405

18 705

82 395

1.6

6.8

11.9

4.8

November

47 892

18 920

20 574

87 385

1.3

15.3

10.0

6.1

December

47 073

19 763

23 741

90 577

-1.7

4.5

15.4

3.7

2010

January

49 181

18 953

19 794

87 928

4.5

-4.1

-16.6

-2.9

February

49 341

18 899

18 061

86 302

0.3

-0.3

-8.8

-1.8

March

49 629

17 734

16 487

83 851

0.6

-6.2

-8.7

-2.8

April

53 836

20 634

16 904

91 374

8.5

16.4

2.5

9.0

May

51 790

19 260

17 435

88 484

-3.8

-6.7

3.1

-3.2

Original

2009

March

43 484

15 022

17 144

75 650

2.4

9.7

21.8

7.7

April

36 697

13 092

14 176

63 965

-15.6

-12.8

-17.3

-15.4

May

42 245

15 562

17 634

75 441

15.1

18.9

24.4

17.9

June

55 837

20 459

26 551

102 847

32.2

31.5

50.6

36.3

July

46 099

14 752

14 482

75 333

-17.4

-27.9

-45.5

-26.8

August

44 918

13 972

14 397

73 287

-2.6

-5.3

-0.6

-2.7

September

47 284

14 443

16 404

78 131

5.3

3.4

13.9

6.6

October

46 544

15 741

18 528

80 813

-1.6

9.0

12.9

3.4

November

47 059

18 360

20 414

85 833

1.1

16.6

10.2

6.2

December

46 623

19 616

22 469

88 708

-0.9

6.8

10.1

3.3

2010

January

43 580

16 900

14 384

74 864

-6.5

-13.8

-36.0

-15.6

February

47 829

18 073

16 317

82 219

9.7

6.9

13.4

9.8

March

53 717

21 643

19 384

94 744

12.3

19.8

18.8

15.2

April

47 156

18 067

16 178

81 401

-12.2

-16.5

-16.5

-14.1

May

50 450

20 065

18 703

89 218

7.0

11.1

15.6

9.6

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

New motor vehicle sales by state/territory of registration

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.(a)

NT(a)

ACT(a)

Aust.

no.

no.

no.

no.

no.

no.

no.

no.

no.

Trend

2009

March

22 231

18 937

15 243

4 588

8 087

1 395

714

1 217

72 412

April

22 251

18 898

15 223

4 584

7 983

1 398

712

1 205

72 254

May

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

June

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

July

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

August

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

September

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

October

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

November

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

December

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

2010

January

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

February

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

March

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

April

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

May

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

np

Seasonally Adjusted

2009

March

21 451

18 233

14 641

4 606

8 070

1 398

615

1 150

70 163

April

22 048

18 283

14 958

4 478

7 702

1 379

723

1 225

70 797

May

23 397

20 225

15 933

4 902

8 189

1 442

735

1 198

76 022

June

24 618

21 421

17 317

5 167

8 835

1 551

745

1 382

81 036

July

23 227

19 854

15 882

4 842

7 833

1 290

790

1 204

74 922

August

23 666

19 423

16 159

4 889

7 947

1 474

777

1 210

75 545

September

24 471

20 652

16 896

5 235

8 011

1 372

759

1 233

78 627

October

25 033

21 992

17 588

5 578

8 597

1 524

771

1 312

82 395

November

26 627

23 651

18 630

5 770

8 990

1 499

890

1 329

87 385

December

28 184

23 280

19 746

6 051

9 366

1 823

813

1 313

90 577

2010

January

26 246

23 505

18 488

5 989

9 709

1 745

921

1 325

87 928

February

26 423

23 134

17 867

5 469

9 623

1 652

804

1 328

86 302

March

25 383

23 414

16 858

5 315

8 995

1 713

844

1 329

83 851

April

26 925

25 634

17 927

5 639

11 370

1 654

858

1 367

91 374

May

26 379

24 063

17 941

5 585

10 627

1 600

878

1 412

88 484

Original

2009

March

23 550

19 503

16 124

4 779

8 329

1 388

718

1 259

75 650

April

19 596

16 395

13 801

4 128

7 043

1 146

772

1 084

63 965

May

22 958

19 995

15 884

5 025

8 150

1 404

851

1 174

75 441

June

31 089

26 508

23 509

6 406

10 838

1 814

991

1 692

102 847

July

23 472

19 884

16 403

4 632

7 817

1 184

761

1 180

75 333

August

22 704

18 848

15 661

4 696

8 003

1 476

723

1 176

73 287

September

24 367

20 857

16 255

5 141

8 217

1 382

698

1 214

78 131

October

24 251

21 989

16 830

5 506

8 763

1 520

696

1 258

80 813

November

26 559

23 417

17 719

5 698

8 702

1 619

810

1 309

85 833

December

26 848

23 398

18 995

6 213

8 967

2 242

737

1 308

88 708

2010

January

22 820

19 746

15 253

5 151

8 521

1 487

716

1 170

74 864

February

25 708

21 924

16 744

5 242

9 048

1 474

742

1 337

82 219

March

29 083

26 380

19 480

5 950

9 636

1 711

1 038

1 466

94 744

April

23 616

22 660

16 326

4 944

10 331

1 406

872

1 246

81 401

May

26 531

23 994

18 370

5 798

10 604

1 527

997

1 397

89 218

(a) Seasonally adjusted numbers of new motor vehicle sales in Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory should be used with caution. For more information, see paragraph 7 of the Explanatory Notes.